New (To Me) Foundation

Hi all! Lately I’ve switched from Bare Minerals loose powder foundation to liquid foundation from other brands. It’s really hard finding the correct shade since I’m very pale, have olive undertones, and some serious redness in my cheeks.

 

I got the L’Oreal Paris Magic Nude foundation (link here) based on a comment I read online that said it was a dupe of Urban Decay’s much, much more expensive Naked Skin foundation.

• The Magic Nude foundation applies strangely, at least to me. The bottle specifically states that you should only use your fingers to put it on — no use of brushes or sponges. I guess this is because the formula is so powdery.
• The color I chose, Light Ivory, seemed to be the lightest one they had. The color is a pretty decent match.
• My biggest problem is that my skin can be somewhat dry. This foundation shows every single tiny dry area of skin on my face, no matter if I moisturize and use a primer underneath! My second biggest issue with it is that it takes quite a bit of product to cover up the redness in my cheeks.
• All in all, I’m not a big fan of this one.

Next is Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation (found here). I think Drugstore.com just got it, because I had to buy it through Asos when I first got it (and shipping took forever). Drugstore.com seems to have a weird assortment of colors to choose from, though.

• I like the texture of this foundation. It’s not too thick, but it’s not runny like the L’Oreal product.
• The color is almost perfect for me.
• The coverage is good. It’s not too heavy, but it covers my cheek redness. Plus I can put it on with a BeautyBlender, which is my preferred method lately.
• It does have a little bit of fragrance in it, but luckily that doesn’t bother me in this product.

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation (found here) is one I obtained solely through a sample, since I didn’t want to gamble $57 on it. I always hear good things about it from “beauty gurus” on YouTube.

• Since it’s a sample, I can’t really comment on the color. I got B50, which is their medium-est of medium shades.
• The formula isn’t too thick or too thin, which is good.
• It went on very smoothly and left a really nice finish on the skin. It looked very even, even though I did a terrible, slap happy job of putting it on.
• My only complaint with this one is that it has a “green” smell to it. (That sounds crazy, I know!) It has a scent of something like freshly cut floral stems. While not unpleasant at all, my face has a thing against strong smells in foundation.

Conclusion: I’ve been trying a lot of foundations lately, but these are just the three that stood out most. I was wearing Makeup Forever’s HD foundation, but if I’m out with friends and they take photos (not like this happens often, but you know), the flash bounces off of the MUFE foundation really, really badly and I look like a crazy glowing woman next to all of the normal people. The Bourjois foundation is my favorite as of right now.

Fortune Cookie Soap: Pack Your Bags Mini Travel Kit Review

My Fortune Cookie Soap (FCS) mini kit arrived today! These were a limited edition “mini collection.” Basically, FCS described it on Facebook as kind of a test run of a travel kit. You get half a shampoo bar, half a conditioner bar (both are in a little container to keep them from rubbing around on your other stuff), an OCD, a Steam Me Up Scotty, a Whipped Cream, a Mist Me, and a body wash. It all comes in a little travel bag with a matching sponge/washcloth combo and everything is tiny and adorable. This time, they let you pick your own scents from a list that they provided on the page. Here’s a link so that you can see what was available (although the kit is sold out now): mini kit link.

FCS Mini Kit

 

Body Wash- Make it Rain: I LOVE this scent. It’s so clean and refreshing.

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Steam Me Up Scotty*- Venus Fly Trap : This is a great scent. It’s a sweet, very floral smell, but not in a grandma kind of a way.

*(FCS’s “Steam Me Up Scotty” items are kind of like bath fizzes but for your shower. You set them in the shower where they’ll get wet, but not too wet. Then they dissolve and the scent mingles in with the steam in the shower. These are one of my favorite FCS products.)

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Shampoo Bar- Afternoon Delight: This is good, but it’s not my favorite scent ever. There’s some sort of underlayer of something I don’t care for. When I tested it out, though, that smell did go away. It smells like watermelon candy and has a hint of floral in the background.

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Conditioner Bar- Afternoon Delight: Ditto.

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OCD*- What’s This: This was not what I was expecting. It’s not bad, but it straight up smells like Eggo waffles with syrup and then a little fruity smell at the end. I’d be a little afraid to use it in public because people would be like, “Why does that woman smell like waffles every time she walks by?! She must have a waffle problem.”

*(This is a hand sanitizer, like Purell, but more moisturizing. At first the name sounds weird, but apparently part of the proceeds of these goes to the International OCD Foundation, so that’s nice.)

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Mist Me- Native Nectar: Coconut! This product is basically a body mist/fragrance. It does have some glitter in it, but when I tested it out, I didn’t look very glittery, which is good for me. This scent is just totally coconut, which is what I wanted. I love it!

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Whipped Cream*- Marshmallow Dreams: I’m iffy on this. It’s fine, but I guess it’s just not “me.” I can’t really describe the scent. It’s not like food, and it’s not like any marshmallow I’ve ever smelled. The FCS website describes it as “Lavender sprigs draped over sage and basil, livened with a splash of vodka, and a swirl of sticky sweet marshmallow fluff.” I’m not sure if I smell half of that stuff, but maybe it’s just me? It does smell very sweet, but once you put it on, the scent calms down quite a bit.

*(This product is FCS’s body lotion/moisturizer. It’s basically a thick, creamy lotion. It has a really nice texture to it and it soaks right in without leaving a film of lotion on your skin. Lotion tends to sit on my skin instead of sinking in, even when my skin is dry, so I really like the formula of this stuff.)

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And they threw in a sample of the bath bomb in “The Munchies.” This is not something I would have ever picked out for myself, since I’m not big on food scents, but it’s really good! It smells like blueberry donuts but it doesn’t have that weird, waxy, chemical smell that a lot of food-based scents have.

 

Final Thoughts: My only “complaint” that I have about this kit is the bag itself. The zipper only opens at the top of the bag, so you sort of have to dig your hand around in there to get the item that you want. The good thing about the bag is that it feels pretty sturdy, and it’s clear so that you can see everything inside. Other than the zipper issue, I think it’s a great idea. I do hope that they start to sell these kits regularly. Not only are they a great way to try out Fortune Cookie Soap products without having to buy the larger sizes of everything, but I think they’d make an awesome gift, too.

Better Late Than Never?

Hello all!

 

I haven’t written anything here in a long time, mostly because either the boxes I used to subscribe to went downhill, or they were too expensive for me. I’m kind of on the fence about starting up again. I like blogging, but maybe I’ll change it to a more general review blog, including makeup, nail polish, and subscription boxes (when I get them).

 

So here’s a little “hi,” and an update. I’ll be reviewing the Fortune Cookie Soap mini collection, which is a travel kit. Then sometime hopefully soon I’ll be reviewing the Orange Glad dessert subscription box. I think that one will arrive in April and I’m really looking forward to it!